1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a sublimation transfer ink, a method for producing a dyed article, and a dyed article.
2. Related Art
Sublimation transfer is a technique widely used to dye fabrics or other materials, and there are various dyeing methods based on sublimation transfer. In one of these, an image is printed on a sheet-shaped intermediate transfer medium (e.g., a sheet of paper) by an ink jet process and the intermediate medium is then placed on a substrate (e.g., a piece of fabric) and heated, transferring the image by sublimation. In another method, the substrate (e.g., a piece of film) has a detachable ink-receiving layer. An image is printed on this ink-receiving layer by ink jet printing, and the substrate is heated. After the ink sublimes and diffuses into the substrate located beneath and the substrate is dyed, the ink-receiving layer is removed. These methods involve the use of an ink containing a sublimation dye (a sublimation transfer ink).
Sublimation transfer inks usually contain water besides a sublimation dye. In addition to these ingredients, many inks contain glycerol so as not to clog the nozzles of the ink jet head used therewith, to ensure sufficient discharge stability, and for other purposes (e.g., see International Publication No. WO 2005/121263).
Dyeing methods based on sublimation transfer include heating, which causes glycerol to be evaporated together with water. Because of the high boiling point of glycerol, the generated vapor of glycerol is rapidly cooled below the condensation temperature and condenses, producing misty vapor (smoke). The produced misty vapor (smoke) seriously affects the workplace environment; for example, it obscures the operator's vision and leads to significantly reduced productivity of dyed articles.